IE changes by next year to avoid patent infringement

Microsoft will make changes to its Internet Explorer browser by early next year to avoid infringing on patents owned by Eolas Technologies.

In August, a court found that Microsoft had infringed on Eolas's patents and awarded the latter $US520 million in damages. Microsoft has appealed the ruling.

The suit filed by Eolas claimed Microsoft's various web-enabled operating system and application products infringed on US Patent 5,838,906 which was granted in 1998 for creation of the first browser system that, for example, allowed the embedding of plug-ins, applets, scriptlets or ActiveX Controls, in web documents.

Microsoft has detailed the changes to Internet Explorer's handling of ActiveX controls and Java applets on its website.

The company said it expected new computers and retail purchases of Windows XP would have this behaviour sometime early in 2004 and that new service packs of Windows XP and Internet Explorer would have this behavior sometime after that.